Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
1,000 Jewish Recipes (284 page)
When I was growing up, my family often enjoyed this cake for Shabbat, especially with
Chocolate Glaze
, or with
Easy Orange Frosting
and a sprinkling of grated chocolate. To make serving easy, my mother usually bakes this cake in a rectangular pan rather than the tube pan generally used for chiffon cakes, and serves it in individual squares. Keep the cake tightly covered at room temperature; if you frost it, refrigerate it. Alongside each serving of cake I like to add a few fresh orange slices or
Chocolate-Dipped Oranges
.
2 cups cake flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1
â
2
teaspoon salt
1
1
â
4
cups sugar
3 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg whites
1
â
2
cup vegetable oil
1
â
2
cup orange juice
Grated rind of 1 large orange (about 1 tablespoon)
1 to 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Easy Orange Frosting
(optional)
Grated semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Have ready a 13 à 9 à 2-inch pan. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add
3
â
4
cup sugar; stir until blended. In another bowl combine egg yolks, oil, and juice; beat until smooth. Beat in orange rind and vanilla.
2.
Make a large well in bowl of dry ingredients; pour in egg yolk mixture. Gently stir dry ingredients into yolk mixture, using a wooden spoon.
3.
Beat 5 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining
1
â
2
cup sugar. Beat at high speed until whites are stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold about
1
â
4
of whites into yolk mixture until nearly blended. Gently fold yolk mixture into remaining whites. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake about 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan on a rack.
4.
Spread cake with frosting and grate some dark chocolate over the top, if using.
 or
Â
This quick frosting is made by the usual method of confectioners' sugar icings but is not as sweet. It's good on orange cakes like
My Mother's Orange Chiffon Cake
, simple chocolate cakes, and white or yellow cakes, as well as on cupcakes.
1
â
2
cup unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
Cream butter until light. Add sugar a little at a time, alternating with 3 tablespoons juice. Beat until well blended. Beat in another tablespoon orange juice if needed, so that frosting is spreadable but still thick. Stir in orange rind. When frosting is ready, spread it over cake in a thin layer.
This tall, dark chocolate cake tastes so rich it's hard to believe it contains no dairy products. Serve it for a festive meal for Sukkot or Shabbat. The cake doesn't really need embellishment but if you like, pour a little chocolate glaze over the top and garnish the cake with toasted pecan halves.
3 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup pecans
1
1
â
2
cups sugar
2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
6 large eggs, separated, plus 2 large egg whites
1
â
2
cup vegetable oil
3
â
4
cup cold water
1
â
2
teaspoon cream of tartar
Chocolate Glaze
(optional)
8 to 10 pecan halves, lightly toasted (optional)
1.
Preheat oven to 325°F. Have ready a 10 à 4-inch tube pan with a removable tube, but not a nonstick pan; do not grease it. Combine chocolates in a medium bowl and melt them over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove bowl from pan, and let cool.
2.
Combine pecans and
1
â
2
cup sugar in food processor. Process until finely ground.
3.
Sift flour, salt, and baking powder into a large bowl. Add
1
â
2
cup sugar; stir until blended. In another bowl combine egg yolks, oil, and water; beat until smooth.
4.
Make a large well in bowl of dry ingredients; pour in yolk mixture. Gently stir dry ingredients into yolk mixture using a wooden spoon. Add melted chocolate, stirring gently just until there are no lumps.
5.
Beat 8 egg whites with cream of tartar in a large, dry bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining
1
â
2
cup sugar. Beat at high speed until whites are stiff and shiny but not dry. Fold about
1
â
4
of whites into chocolate mixture until nearly blended. Gently fold chocolate mixture into remaining whites. When nearly blended, sprinkle pecan mixture over batter and fold in lightly.
6.
Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake about 1 hour 10 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean. Invert pan on its "feet" or on a heatproof funnel or bottle; let stand about 1
1
â
2
hours or until completely cool. Run a metal spatula gently around side of cake. Push up tube to remove side of pan. Run a thin-bladed knife around tube. Run metal spatula carefully under cake to free it from base; turn out carefully onto a platter.
7.
If glazing the cake, first brush any crumbs gently from top of cake. Prepare glaze. Slowly spoon glaze over top of cake, letting it run down outer sides a little. Garnish with toasted pecans, if using. Let cake stand in a cool place at least 30 minutes before serving so glaze can set; refrigerate if necessary, but glaze will be shinier if it cools outside the refrigerator.
This easy-to-make glaze turns any simple cake into something festive. It's especially delicious on
Chocolate-Pecan Chiffon Cake
.
Use good-quality chocolate for best flavor. If you're spooning the glaze over an orange-flavored cake, you can substitute orange juice for the water. Before using glaze, be sure to remove any crumbs from the top of the cake. The glaze remains shiny if you let the glazed cake cool at room temperature instead of in the refrigerator.
8 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Melt chocolate with oil and water in a medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Stir until smooth. Remove bowl from pan. Stir in vanilla. Let glaze cool slightly before spooning it over cake; it should still be pourable. If it becomes too thick, set it over warm water again to soften it.
These rich, flavorful cakes have long been a favorite in Israel. Derived from the French
savarin,
which is usually ring-shaped, these are individual cakes baked in fluted molds. The dough is a light, yeast-risen batter. The cakes are then soaked in a syrup flavored with spirits and frosted with apricot jam. As a luxurious final touch, they are split and filled generously with whipped cream.
Instead of using fluted brioche molds, I use muffin pans, as these are already in most kitchens. You can buy individual brioche molds in specialty kitchen equipment shops and use them to bake these in the same way; be sure to butter the flutes of the molds carefully before adding the batter.
1 envelope dry yeast (
1
â
4
ounce or 2
1
â
2
teaspoons)
1
â
4
cup warm water (110°F)
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon salt
1
1
â
2
teaspoons grated orange rind
7 tablespoons unsalted butter or margarine, cut into 14 pieces, room temperature
1 cup apricot preserves
About
1
â
2
cup orange liqueur
1 cup heavy cream or whipping cream
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
16 candied cherries (optional)
1.
Sprinkle yeast over warm water in a small bowl and add 1 teaspoon sugar. Let stand 10 minutes or until foamy. Sift flour into bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook. Add 2 eggs, salt, 1 teaspoon grated orange rind, and remaining tablespoon sugar. Mix at low speed until a few tablespoons of flour are drawn into egg mixture. Add yeast mixture and remaining 2 eggs. Mix at low speed, occasionally scraping down dough, about 10 minutes or until dough is soft and smooth. Beat at medium speed about 12 minutes or until dough is very smooth and most of it comes away from sides of bowl. (Dough will be soft and very sticky.)